By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

TO prove that their 3-2 win over the NMI Men’s National Football Team was a no fluke, Guam posted a dominating 9-0 win in their second and final outing in the preliminary qualifying tournament for the East Asian Football Federation Championships at the GFA Complex and Training Facility Field in Harmon.
Midfielder Zachary Pangelinan, who made Guam’s last two goals in Game 1 on March 25 at the Oleai Sports Complex Field to save his team, delivered anew for the host as he scored five of Guam’s nine goals.
Unlike their first meeting in which Pangelinan scored only in the second half, the Guam midfielder toyed with NMI defense early in the game making his first goal in the 4th minute.
Pangelinan’s goal set the tone for the one-sided match, as he scored two more in the first half to give Guam a 3-0 halftime lead.
The Guam midfielder picked up where he left off, as he made the first goal in the second half and his fourth straight in the 54th minute.
According to NMI coach Jeff “Ziggy” Korytoski, his strikers had a couple of chances to score, but just could not complete the plays.
“We just could not break their defense,” Korytoski said.
Marvin Mendoza, Elias F. Merfalen, Alan Jamison and Edward Calvo scored the four other goals for Guam, while Pangelinan earned his fifth goal in the 61st minute.
“No excuses. Guam was the better team last Sunday. Our players did their best, but Guam wanted to prove something,” the NMI coach said.
“I guess they were extremely disappointed when they beat us by only one point. They were expecting to have a big win in Game 1, but we almost pulled off an upset. In Game 2, they settled down and just beat us,” Korytoski added.
In Game 2, both teams had minor changes in their lineups.
Goalkeeper Brett Maluwelmeng, who started for Guam in Game 1, did not play in Game 2 as Joseph Patrick A. Laanan took his post.
Defense fielder Calvo, who was a substitute in Game 1, started in Game 2 and scored a goal in the first minute of the five-minute stoppage time.
NMI goalkeeper Ross Benjamin Wood played in Game 1 and also started in Game 2. But after allowing three goals in the first half was replaced in the second half. Michael Jon Thomas relieved him in the 46th minute.
Lucas Knecht, the youngest player in the qualifier, did not play for the NMI in Game 1, but the Whispering Palms’junior high school student entered the field in Game 2 in the 87th minute replacing Michael Hall.
Bruce Berline, who came off the bench in Game 1, started for the NMI in Game 2, while Jonathan Peter Mafnas also had a chance to play in the second game replacing Vincent Stravino in the 68th minute.
NMI midfielder Mark McDonald started anew in Game 2, but failed to get by Guam’s defense. McDonald scored the NMI’s both goals in Game 1.
With Guam’s victory, it advances to the next round of the EAAF championship and will play in Macau in June.